Downes Attendance Initiatives
What is the Schoolwide PBIS event for attendance month?
What is the AttenDANCE!
What happens to the instruction in the classroom if too many students are absent?
What is....Instruction becomes delayed or disrupted in attempts to catch those up and keep the pace of the instruction consistent.
Which grade in school is likely to see the most absences?
Kindergarten
Who is responsible to ensure a child's attendance?
Students, Parents, School leaders, Community Leaders and visiting teacher.
What is a Tier 1 Strategy for reducing chronic absence?
What is.......All staff will greet students, in person, during arrival
- Designated staff (counselor, social worker, psychologist, etc.) will conduct a “Check In” with target/ at risk students
- “Check Ins can include wellness checks based on the student needs/ concerns
o Daily Restorative Practice Community Circles will be conducted in the classrooms
- Daily circles should incorporate community building
o SEL lessons facilitated weekly by the school counselor to each classroom
o PBIS
- School-wide goals and incentives for positive behavior and good/ improved attendance
o Monthly/ BiWeekly Newsletter and email blast to emphasize the importance of consistent attendance and also provide information for housing, food, health supports, etc.
o Monthly/BiWeekly automated phone calls/ emails to reinforce attendance and/ or important updates
o Personalized outreach/ communication from social worker/ counselor when students are absent
What are other ways we can encourage good attendance?
What is motivating the student to surf the WAVES with the possibility of earning WAVE wallets. Discuss PBIS events, build rapport with students, etc.
What happens to a child's social development if they miss too much school?
Lag behind peers and find it difficult to keep with with all aspects of the school and classroom community.
What are some potential consequences for students with poor attendance versus students with good attendance?
What is....
1) there are higher drop out rates
2) Poor work habits that extend beyond school and impact a person in the workforce.
3) Socially disconnected from peer group and school community.
What does it mean to be chronically absent?
Absences at or above 10% of the school year (around 18 for a school year of 180 days).
What is a Tier 2 Strategy for reducing chronic absences?
What is....
Data monitoring of absences to activate targeted supports
o Referral to school social worker for attendance concerns
- Personalized parent/ guardian phone call/ email to discuss absenteeism
- Assess need for home visit to meet with student and family to identify attendance barriers and develop solutions
- Facilitate attendance conference with parent/ guardian to provide tailored physical/ mental health/ medical supports to improve attendance
o Teacher documents all interventions via i- Tracker (elementary)
o Automated attendance letter from DSC Student Truancy Tracker mailed home
When is a good time to talk about attendance with your class or student?
During SEL, community meetings, and one on one discussions.
When students' are chronically absent how can it impact staffing at the school?
What is.....It students miss too much school the district cannot collect money and count them as active students. It can also impact planning for staffing and class sizes.
What does the research report about students with poor attendance patterns established in September?
1) It tends to continue throughout school career with increased drop out rates.
2) Attendance patterns established in September tend to persist over the entire school year.
When is East Valley required by the state to take action when student absences accumulate?
A letter will be sent to parents when a student has 3 unexcused absences. Plans should be developed to help get students to school and a truancy petition with the courts should be filed if a student has five unexcused absences in a month or 10 in the academic year.
Tier 3 Strategy for Reducing Chronic Absences.
What is....
Intensive outreach to locate the student and family to assess the situation
o Refer to MTSS Team and Visiting Teacher/ Social Worker
- Create individualized support plan with specific incentives
- Refer to school based mental health counseling
- Refer to outside agencies
- Determine need for Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)
- Coordinate case management with multiple systems: Dual Generation Center, FCT, BHC, CCD, Wellness Center, DSCYF, etc.
o Truancy Court to be utilized as a last resort, after all interventions have been exhausted
What would be great classroom attendance incentives?
What is extra recess, lunch with your preferred staff member, VIP lunches, extra computer time in the classroom, etc.
What is the impact of missing school in KN or 1st grade?
What is.....Children who are chronically absent in kindergarten and first grade are less likely to read on grade level by the third grade. It has a snowball effect.
Build regular routines for bed time and morning. Avoid medical appointments and family trips during school times. Develop back up plans for getting to school if a problem occurs (family member, neighbor or another parent from school).